Pigeons Rising Above Bobo-Dioulasso Market Screens

Warm sodium-vapor light spills across the textured weave of overhead shade screens, illuminating a flock of pigeons mid-ascent against the deepening blue of evening. The birds' gray feathers catch the orange glow as they lift from the crowded market stall below. Monsoon moisture rests on the rough fabric, darkening the woven fibers and making the threads glisten. Below, the stall displays woven baskets and colorful textiles in rows, their hues softened by the fading daylight. The air is still, marked only by the motion of the birds and the heavy, saturated colors of the goods. A shadow from a hanging lantern stretches across a stack of woven mats near the ground.